Driving home from school today and listening to “progressive” talk radio I was reminded why I’ve been writing about the need for President Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, to hold George W Bush and Dick Cheney accountable – LEGALLY – for the crimes committed under their “tutelage” during the first eight years of the 21st Century.  Of course, that didn’t happen, and many who supported “the change we can believe in,” are now shaking their collective heads wondering “who is this guy” who was elected to reverse the terrible “deeds” of Bush/Cheney?  I mean, there was an unbelievable amount of passion that went into the 2008 election and there are millions more besides me who are terribly disappointed in the results.  If you’ve been on this site much you know that I started to write out of frustration over the Bush NIGHTMARE in Iraq – which was a WAR OF CHOICE – for despicable reasons – all based on LIES!  I could go over those lies again, but if you’re reading this you likely already have a good grasp of the magnitude of Bush/Cheney’s dishonesty.  In a “nutshell” it was UNBELIEVABLE – no pun intended! :o)

Even before I realized that Obama was going to violate SEVERAL promises he made in the campaign – MAJOR promises from my standpoint – I had the “red flags” going up (if you don’t believe me – check out the posts I was writing prior to and just after the inauguration).  Just the FACT that President Obama chose one INSIDER after another for his cabinet posts drew my attention in a negative direction.  I mean, come on, Rahm Emanuel?  As chief of staff?  What kind of change did that imply?  Well, to me, it implied NO CHANGE – other than the normal drift between the traditional democratic vs republican BS that we’ve all had to endure for the past 30 – 40 years.  And, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner?  I certainly didn’t expect a break from the corporatist “Washington” approach to “business” with them at the economic “helm.”  Our government is still connected at the “core” to the very institutions which are destroying it.

One of the main reasons I wanted Bush/Cheney investigated FULLY, was to put the republican philosophy of destroying the government from within – and what it’s doing to the average “man/woman” on the street – right out on the front pages of every newspaper and television news broadcast until EVERYTHING had been put through the “ringer.”  Obama claimed that he didn’t want the “distraction” which, unfortunately, was EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDED to get a strong “progressive” response to the damage done by Bush/Cheney through congress.  The republicans have been at this (destroying our own government) since the days of Ronald Reagan.  You can still hear their “mantra” as they are trying to take Obama down – which is that “big government” is the problem.  Many of the very people “carrying the water” for these republican corporatists depend on the “big government” they’re protesting against.  I mean, when you hear someone on medicare complain about a government “takeover” of the health care system you have to wonder what the person’s intellectual capacity is.  It would seem that they would HAVE to understand that Medicare is a government run health care system.  All I would tell them is that Medicare made the last 10 – 20 years of my parent’s lives MUCH BETTER.  Most of the people complaining about “government run health care” at, for example, the “tea party” conventions or demonstrations – would be very angry if Medicare was eliminated as many republicans would prefer.  And, the way these republicans – behind the scenes – are going about trying to defeat universal health care in America – is COMPLETELY DISHONEST!  That’s probably what bothers me the most about the present debate in America – is the dishonesty involved, especially from the republican side.  By essentially ENABLING the dishonesty of Bush/Cheney and their administration, the Obama administration has given the rest of the republican party the “green light” to throw an unlimited BARRAGE of lies at “we the people” – because, we no longer hold people accountable for telling the truth.

The republicans and the Bush/Cheney administration have been/were WRONG about everything except ONE ITEM.  They were wrong about Iraq – there were no weapons of mass destruction, there was no nuclear program, we weren’t greeted as “liberators,” “major combat operations” are still not completed and the “mission accomplished” sign is still inappropriate, things are not getting better in Iraq, and they won’t get better until we’re TOTALLY out of there.  Also, enabling Iran to become a “MAJOR PLAYER” in the region is an irreversible BLUNDER.  I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea.  Bush/Cheney were wrong about the economy and the elimination of regulation after regulation on corporate interests in the United States.  The “MELTDOWN” of 2008 will be a HUGE “WEIGHT” on our economy for an as yet undetermined number of years.  Bush/Cheney were wrong about the effect of tax cuts for the wealthy (just as Reagan was wrong about that before them).  It not only didn’t create jobs, we lost jobs and the middle class went from stagnation for the first 7 years of their administration to what we find ourselves in now, which is a near (and still possible) depression.  Bush/Cheney were wrong to abandon the fight against Osama bin Laden in favor of their misadventure into Iraq – now, al Qaeda has been “rejuvenated” and is a MAJOR threat again.  The choice by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Franks/ and whoever else was involved to abandon the search for bin Laden when they had him cornered at Tora Bora was, in my view, an act of CRIMINAL negligence.  Bin Laden, after all, was the “ring leader” behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  I’m convinced to this day that they allowed him to “get away” because capturing him would have taken away their argument to go into Iraq – an argument which was put together years before Bush was even nominated to the presidency, let alone elected.

So, what is the one thing the republicans are correct about?  Well, that one should be easy.  They have been claiming for years that the democrats are weak, or even worse yet – SPINELESS.  Well, my biggest hope – and, at the same time fear now that I think about it – was that Obama would prove them wrong on this.  Instead, President Obama and the rest of the democratic party (actually, I have to admit there are some really good progressive democrats out there, it’s just that this “huge majority” is a mirage) are PROVING THE REPUBLICANS CORRECT!  The first sign, Obama’s refusal to allow investigations of what was CLEARLY criminal behavior by Bush/Cheney and their surrogates.  What rips at my insides about this, even as I’m writing, was I can clearly remember then Senator Obama pledging that “no one is above the law,” “if there is evidence of a crime, there will be an investigation and prosecution where warranted,” “waterboarding is torture,” “In America, we don’t torture,” and of course, “torture is against the law.”  He said all of those things.  As soon as I heard him, after saying all that, essentially PARDON Bush/Cheney – who BOTH admitted authorizing waterboarding during national TV inverviews – I thought to myself, “here we go again.”  I’ve been paying attention (closely most of the time) to our government since the early 1960’s.  My bachelor degree from college was in political science, so I always knew I had somewhat of a frame of reference to tell whether our leaders were doing the “right thing.”  And, mind you, the “right thing” to me isn’t always agreeing with me, because that rarely happens, but it means honoring the pleged EVERY American politician takes to DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION and execute the laws of the land FAIRLY.  When Richard Nixon said, “When the President does it, it must be legal” our congress, at the time in a bipartisan manner, went to great lengths to PROVE HIM WRONG.  With a simple “look forward,” President Obama has essentially overturned the work of Sam Ervin, Frank Church, and all the senators who held Nixon to account for violating laws during his presidency.  From the standpoint of what he was “for,” there was a lot to like from my vantage point about Richard Nixon.  However, breaking the law is MORE unacceptable, in my view, if you’re the “top dog” in charge of enforcing it.  This (pardoning Bush/Cheney) was an UNFORGIVABLE sin, in my view, coming from Obama.

When you analyze that decision closer, you have to wonder what is the reasoning behind it?  The first thought that comes to my mind is that the President and his supporters are afraid to take the “battle” to the republicans.  And, if that’s the case, those of us who are longing for progressive solutions to America’s problems are in deep you know what.  Worse yet, along those lines, I’m seeing MANY more progressives getting FED UP with Obama’s seemingly endless “kissing up” to republicans – people whose only agenda is his defeat.  IT MAKES NO SENSE, whatsoever!  (I was “pretty ticked off” [if you’ve seen the movie “Let it Ride” you will understand the picture I have in my mind as I say that phrase] when I – and millions of other ‘liberals’ – were referred to as “fu__ing retards” by none other than Rahm Emanuel himself)  Just the other day, when President Obama was making the final push for the health care bill (that even progressives don’t support – the one that forces 30-40 million new customers into the coffers of the same insurance companies that are already ripping us off) the only thing new about the proposal was FOUR provisions that the republicans suggested at the so-called “summit” (and which they now opposed).  Even if they are good ideas (which I have to doubt) THAT IS BAD PUBLICITY!  When, if ever, is Obama going to stop trying to persuade republicans to support his proposals and, instead, try to fashion something that’s acceptable to the people who voted him into office?

I took Barack Obama to be a man of HIGH INTELLIGENCE when I chose to vote for him, so the only conclusions I can think of right now about why I feel so betrayed is either I was totally wrong, or he’s getting TERRIBLE ADVICE.  And, considering it’s Rahm Emanuel feeding him the advice (I guess I’m assuming this) these MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, kiss the butts of the people who are trying to destroy you policy shouldn’t surprise me.  But, what has been the end result of this direction Obama’s taken?

For starters, we have a HUGE unemployment problem in America which Geithner and other administration “experts” are saying is going to “linger” for years to come.  America was ready for and supportive of a “New” New Deal when Obama took office.  The first casualty of the “kissing up to republicans” approach to government was the so-called “stimulus bill.”  While Obama and his other supporters are still claiming that the bill was good (and, I don’t disagree) there are many (including me) who were calling for something much larger and more targeted to infrastructure jobs – RIGHT FROM THE START.  Keep in mind, the larger stimulus bill could have easily been passed through reconciliation (just as Bush bludgeoned the “Clinton surplus” through tax cuts) without a single republican vote.  Had the democrats not been able to get at least 50 of the 59 (at the time) in their caucus to support something closer to the 1.2 trillion dollars needed, w/out the tax cuts, there wouldn’t be any “grey area” as far as the need to vote them out of office as well as the republicans (third party? anyone).  Instead, we got a “watered down” bill in order to get three republicans to support it.  That was one of the first “consequences” of Obama’s flirtation with the republican party.

He almost immediately added 20,000 troops to Afganistan – in my view, attempting to prevent republicans from seeing him as “weak.”  And, of course, he has since added over 30,000 more – not including all the support personell that never get talked about.  The bottom line is that while we’re watching our congress fight over a health care proposal which will cost something approaching 1 TRILLION over 10 years, we’re seemingly willing to commit MUCH MORE THAN THAT to Iraq and Afganistan with nary a whimper from Congress – which USED to control the “purse strings” of government (Obama also “adopted” GW Bush’s “exit strategy” regarding Iraq, almost inusring we’ll be stuck there until we can elect a president with the “balls” to REALLY bring the troops home).  Does anyone besides me find it ironic that the more Obama tries to look “tough” to the republicans, the WEAKER he looks to me (and millions of other progressives)?  Just wait till he reverses himself on the trials of the terrorists and they are moved back into “military tribunals.”  I just wonder if placating the republicans on that one makes President Obama think the republicans will then think he’s “tough?”  This is all very curious to me.

What I’m beginning to suspicion is that the reason Obama “looked forward” and, essentially, managed to stop ALL INVESTIGATIONS of the Bush White House – including ones in Congress – is that he’s doing the SAME THINGS.  It has been reported that “extraordinary rendition” is still happening in Afganistan and (probably) Iraq.  The “black hole” prisons are still there and the prison at Bagram Air Base in Afganistan is still “alive and well” and “enemy combatants” are still being funneled there and held without charge and/or habeous corpus rights.  I’ve even heard reports that the “enhanced interrogation” is continuing – just “not as enhanced.”  Really, what the hell does that mean?  (if my students heard me talk like that they’d be shocked – but, I’m shocked – at my own government, that I’m trying to teach them [my students] to respect)  Of course, I haven’t even got to the illegal wiretapping.  I keep wondering, “Is Obama continuing the Bush wiretapping policy?”  I honestly think he is.  That would help explain why he doesn’t want investigations.  That would also explain why he (through Eric Holder) is defending the Bush wiretapping policies in court in the Al-Haramain case which would prove Bush/Cheney violated the FISA laws after 9/11 (laws that were probably violated before 9/11, as well, but for some reason Obama doesn’t want “us” to know the TRUTH about all of this).  Remember, it’s easier to GAIN power than to GIVE IT UP.

I guess because my hopes were so high, it has taken a lot to get me to understand that, despite my respect for President Obama as a person, husband, and father, he’s not the right man for me as president.  Now, the problem becomes, what to do about this?  The last thing I want, and I’m sure most “progressives,” is another republican.  I mean, can you (even if you’re a republican) imagine Sarah Palin in the White House?  Oh my gosh, the thought makes my stomach curdle.  How about Mitt Romney?  PPPPPPPPPPPlease!  Tim Pawlenty or Scott Brown?  Help!!!!  I’m still thinking that Jeb Bush is going to emerge from the “weeds” as the “savior” of the republican party – with another barrage of “compassionate conservative” lies.  And, Barack Obama is setting us all up for that.  Here’s the solution I’m starting to think about as a progressive.  Let these congressional leaders spin their wheels for another couple of years – doing little or nothing, and find a true progressive to challenge Obama in the primaries in 2012.  I can tell you, Dennis Kucinich looks better to me every day!  I suppose he doesn’t have the “sex appeal” necessary to gain the main stage in America these days, but he’s got the intellectual integrity and the “kahonas” to push for policies that would be beneficial to this nation’s middle class for generations to come. 

The attacks from the fallout of “Citizens United” – the Supreme Court decision which threatens this republic further – have already begun – making the thought of “fixing” this problem in 2012 much less likely .  I’m hearing smear campaigns on the radio that are surepticiously designed to sway public opinion against “we the people” and toward the interests of a corporate “state” – already.  The “liberal” or “progressive” candidates, as of NOW, know that they’re going to be under attack – and soon!  The money that Exxon will spend to stop the energy legislation, or Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to stop the Wall Street regulation, or the health care industry to stop reform , and on and on – is UNLIMITED.  (that money is also aimed at the legislators who support those reforms – and, NOT to reelect them!)  Right now, we need a president willing to lead, not someone looking to “compromise” with his (our) enemies.  The other day I heard Obama claim that he was going to “lead” to get this health care legislation through congress, “no matter what the political consequences,”  while, at the same time announcing the four republican “addons” to the bill.  This is a WAR for the very nation we all love and that kind of attitude WON’T “GET’R DONE.”  Many of these corporations who are going to be deciding our elections aren’t even American corporations!  Citizens Untited is part of the long term republican plan to destroy our government and it clearly points out where their interests lie.  Despite the chance I’m repeating myself, I’ll say this again and conclude with:  Earth to Obama, we need a LEADER committed to defeating republicans, not reaching out to them!